This geocache is near an old quarry, now the Aspley Heath Sandpit. Originally, when Aspley Heath formed part of old Wavendon parish, quarries were held in common by the parish and parishoners were allowed to use the sandstone and sand for building. In 1883 the parish of Aspley Heath was created and access to the quarry was restricted. Nowadays, the old quarry is a place where families come and children play.
Please bring your own pen or pencil and sign with initials only.
A bit of Aspley Heath history
Since the 18th century the Heath had been seen as a healthy countryside location, partly because it had a smaller fluctuation between winter cold and summer heat than almost anywhere else in the country, but also because of its elevated position and the numerous pine woods. In 1856 Dr James Williams published “The Topography and Climate of Aspley Guise, in Reference to their Influence upon Health and Disease”, in which he extolled the virtues of the local climate. He mentions Aspley Heath, but regrets that it “…has fallen into the hands of a distinct colony of independent settlers, who have erected tenements of some little value upon it, and reclaimed portions of the land from barrenness. It is to be regretted, from its great natural beauty, and proximity to the road and a first class railway station, that it has not fallen into other hands, and become the site of a better class of houses; such will, I have no doubt, be the case at no very distant period.” A number of medical facilities were erected on Aspley Heath as a result of the perceived health benefits of the area: Daneswood, Edgbury, Homewood and The Mount.
From: The Aspley Heath Conservation Area 2008 (p2) https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/migrated_images/aspley-heath_tcm3-12945.pdf
Nowadays Aspley Heath consists of a range of homes, from Quarry Cottage, a cute thatched cottage on Hardwick Road, built by the original settlers, to brick and tile cottages, large victorian houses with cellars and more modern properties. Fortunately, the woods remain and provide popular leisure facilities for walkers, dog walkers, horse riders and cyclists.